Golfers have long recognized that immobility of the head and proper orientation and alignment with the ball and the desired direction of club movement are essential to a correct and accurate golf club swing. Beginning golfers are constantly reminded to observe the location of the ball after being struck, and not to lift or turn the head until after the swing has been substantially completed. Also, the necessity for aligning the body with the direction of desired movement of the ball is basic to proper play.
A number of instructional aids have been proposed for encouraging immobility of the head and alignment of the body to the ball. Such devices are often attached to the player's head by eyeglasses or eyeglass-type devices or to a cap worn by the player, and typical devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,264,002; 3,437,339; 3,729,199 and 4,531,743.
It is an object of the invention to provide a golf instructional aid readily affixed to the wearer's head which teaches and encourages the player to immobilize his head during the golf swing.
A further object of the invention is to provide a golf instructional aid attached to the wearer's head which encourages immobilization of the head during the golf swing and wherein a visual image is provided of the relationship between the player's head and the ball prior to the ball being struck.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a golf instructional aid attached to the player's head which aids in the alignment of the player to the ball with respect to the desired direction of ball movement, and wherein the aid does not interfere with the golf swing and detraction is minimized.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a golf instructional aid which is easy to use, economical to manufacture and purchase, and wherein the use of the aid is readily understandable by the average player.
A golf instructional aid in accord with the concepts of the invention basically consists of a pair of thin elongated reference elements located within the player's line of vision when addressing a golf ball. A reference mark is located upon at least one of the elements within the line of vision and the elements and mark define an area or "box" in which the addressed ball is visually observed. The location and maintenance of the ball within the "box" indicates to the player the relative immobility of the head and also indicates the alignment of the body and head to the desired direction of ball movement. The reference elements and marks are located relatively close to the player's eyes, and although the eyes are focusing on the ball, rather than on the reference elements and mark, the presence of the elements and mark are readily discerned, but are not distracting or interfere with vision of the addressed ball.
The reference elements are mounted upon the wearer's head and are stationary with respect to the head during the addressing of the ball and club swing or movement. The elements are mounted upon a bow held by a holder which is mounted to a clip by a ball and socket type hinge. The clip is preferably attached to the visor of a cap worn by the player. It is also envisioned that the aid could be mounted upon eyeglasses worn by the player, or other suitable means could be used for attaching the aid to the wearer's head.